Resort break alternatives

[ceejayzvan]

Undecided about whether we should have a resort break during the day to get away from the July heat or find somewhere to relax/cool down nearby. It's our first trip and not sure how well my husband and kids will handle a hot day in the park. Would love to hear what your favorite places are in the parks or nearby to have a break. Thanks!

 

[yulilin3]

MK: Tom Sawyer Island is probably the best since there's no time limit on how long you can stay there, although it is outdoors there are plenty of places that are shaded, lots of places to sit and relax/ Attraction wise would be peoplemover, HoP, Country Bears, Tiki Room, all do have a time limit, obviously.
Epcot: Living seas with Nemo, the American Adventure pavilion, Land pavilion, all are nice, chill in the a/c for a while
DHS: Launch Bay, Walt Disney Presents, again nice, a/c no time limit
AK: Rafiki's Planet Watch (if open) for indoor a/c. AK has a lot of trails with nice shaded areas, especially around the tree of life
As far as nearby spots, Contemporary would be my go to for MK. Beach Club or Boardwalk for Epcot and DHS, easy boat ride away, AK is trickier as it's separated the most but a short bus ride will get you to AKL, that's a great resort to explore on itself with plenty of activities that you can do even if you are not staying there

 

[Klayfish]

So many attractions in all the parks are in a/c. We never do a "resort break", though we stay off property. For example, CoP in MK is a great way to get out of the heat. So is Laugh Floor, Tiki Room, Ariel, , Belle, etc... You'll find the same in all parks. H.S. has the Frozen Sing a Long, on and on. Just plan to do those types of attractions in the mid-day hours and you can literally stay out of the worst of the heat completely, except for walking from attraction to attraction.

 

[PunchyPayne5]

How old are your kids? We have always done resort breaks on rope drop days (rope drop until about 1pm - break from about 1-5 and then back to the park for the evening.) We were all so much happier in the evening with that break out of the park...for us the transportation time was totally worth it! When they were little, they would nap...now, my husband naps and the kids swim .

 

[DaisieOneil]

We love taking a resort break in the afternoon but another great way to get out of the heat is to book a TS lunch somewhere in the park. An hour or so in air conditioning and a cold drink can make a huge difference.

 

[tzeitel]

We don't usually do resort break - but I am planning on some on our upcoming trip in May - but I do book TS ADRs for lunch. This way during the hottest part of the day we have something booked where we can sit and relax in A/C comfort

 

[TwinkleKS]

You can also book ADRs in the middle of the heat and enjoy a nice meal. We don't normally go back to the resort during the day - even in the heat of summer. But we spend time at indoor attractions - like the Carousel of Progress and have ADRs during the day.

 

[ceejayzvan]

Thanks for the great suggestions! My kids are 11 and 8, so I'm sure everyone will want to keep trying to get on rides.

 

[LuckyPhoenixStar]

On our last trip, we made ADR's for lunches at some of the resorts close to whichever park we had planned on being in that day. Our favorite was taking the boat to Wilderness Lodge, it's nice and breezy on the water, the restaurant was quiet (and cool), and we took some time to walk around (and found the barn and DS went on a pony ride!) It's not total "down time", but it is an opportunity to decompress a bit and relax a little. Hope you have a great time!

 

[TammyLynn33]

What about a water park ? It’s a nice down day

 

[PirateFish989]

All the suggestions I had have already been mentioned.

I do want to add: if you aren't used to the humidity (not necessarily the heat), don't completely disregard an afternoon break at the book at your resort. My husband and I live in central California where it is routinely 100+ degrees in the summer but we don't have humidity. When we went in June 2018, the humidity nearly knocked us over and while we had a blast, that afternoon break saved us every day. There is nothing the same as a quick dunk in the pool to cool your body off.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

All the suggestions I had have already been mentioned.

I do want to add: if you aren't used to the humidity (not necessarily the heat), don't completely disregard an afternoon break at the book at your resort. My husband and I live in central California where it is routinely 100+ degrees in the summer but we don't have humidity. When we went in June 2018, the humidity nearly knocked us over and while we had a blast, that afternoon break saved us every day. There is nothing the same as a quick dunk in the pool to cool your body off.

I agree but 17 month old grandson after short nap on way to resort screamed the whole time and no one got any rest in our room plus most of our neighboring rooms. some times it doesn't work out

 

[ceejayzvan]

Oh no! That doesn't sound restful at all. I forgot about the humidity. That could be an issue and we could be looking for as much as A/C as possible.

 

[Mome Rath]

Two words; Nomad Lounge. That's at AK, and it is an Oasis on a hot day, life saver. It's attached to Tiffins, and they obviously serve alcohol, and have a small menu (including some things available from Tiffins), as well as serving up non-alcoholic drinks. It's air conditioned, nice and dark, and you get to chill out. My mom and I hung out there one day when it was so hot, and just ordered some non-alcoholic drinks and relaxed.

 

[tguz]

We are used to the heat and humidity from where we live but we still like an afternoon break. My Fiancee likes to get off of her feet for a while and my son and I get some pool time before hitting the parks again later in the afternoon for the night.

 

[nkereina]

In our experience in the August heat, we only wanted to return to the room for a while for a mid-day break. We found it best to shower mid-day because we were quite sweaty from the morning. We also wanted to change clothes at that point too, so we ended up packing more clothes for the trip. We were able to lay down and cool off for a while as the other person showered and got ready, which was a nice break because that heat will take a lot out of you.

We also had instances of downpours at various times, so by going back to the resort, we could change clothes and shoes from that.

 

[PlutoTheDog89]

So we kinda used to do the reverse. We went during Christmas week. Being from NY, anything above 70 feels tropical at that time. But weather during December is all over the place. it could be 80 and sunny one day, then 50 and cloudy the next. We'd book FP+ throughout the day, get this GORGEOUS pool day, then feel guilty for going to the park or skipping our FP+ selections to stay by the pool... so we'd book FP+ early in the day or late in the day, then leave the afternoon open.

As most mentioned, a lot of shows are air conditioned. There are some alts to going back to the pool. At Epcot, go to Beach Club and hang out in the solarium. Go ride the monorail and explore the resorts near Magic Kingdom. Stuff like that could be cool for a first timer. We'd been a bunch of times, but that's how we discovered and fell in love with the Beach Club, by simply exploring the different resorts.

 

[PirateFish989]

I agree but 17 month old grandson after short nap on way to resort screamed the whole time and no one got any rest in our room plus most of our neighboring rooms. some times it doesn't work out

True, going back to the resort for a nap or swim may not work for everyone. The OP didn't say how old their kids were and since it appears they're planning to stay in the parks all day I'm assuming (and maybe wrongly so) their kids are older than toddlers.

All I'm saying is that you shouldn't completely rule out an afternoon break at the resort/pool. To each his own!

 

[sachilles]

at 11 and 8, I'd recommend a resort break if you are on property. Go with park hopper tickets, and go to a different park at night, so it just seems like a transition and not a break. Take a nap in a cool room, then party all night. We do that an it works great for our now 11 year old(we've gone every year for the last 5).
He now certainly resists the thought he needs a nap, but my wife and I need it as much as he does.
Mid afternoon is really the worst time....get away if you can and come back and stay later.

 

[ColonelHathi]

Agreed with the above. If you are staying on property and given the ages 8 and 11 - you may find that they enjoy the resort pools just as much, if not more, than the parks. When my kids were about that age they 'rested' in the room or resort lobby if it was raining, swam if it wasn't (we went twice at the end August at those ages). We'd also grab lunch back at the resort or a later 'snack' before heading back if we had a lunch ADR in the parks - went back to the parks around 4/5 pm. If you stay until about 1 pm or so you will notice a definite 'mood' in the parks on hot summer days - grumpy, sticky, grumbly, sluggy mood... it's nice to break away from that. If you stay in the parks, you still won't be able to do EVERYTHING, so might as well take a break and relax. Maybe not 'plan' a break, but play it by ear and allow yourself the break if you think you need it (i.e., don't plan anything in the parks between 1-5ish)?